That's very cute! Mine would look awful--the ugly mail is the stuff we let sit the longest.

If you're hanging it inside somewhere, I got something similar to the one linked once out of desperation. It was supposed to hold keys, outgoing school papers, and incoming mail. It ended up holding keys and phones and wallets and car insurance cards that never made it to the car because it wasn't by the mailbox door and soon the kids were old enough to take care of their own paperwork...but ANYway long story short, this sort of thing works pretty well.

You'd want a more attractive one of course. Or one shaped better for mail. But that concept.

I do think those built in cubbies are so appealing on many levels...

Here is a link that might be useful: wall mount mail thingie

Thanks! I'm thinking that if I went with the cubbies, I might be able to have my GC build them to be removable. So they could slide in and then be taken out if they were not working out and I'd have a regular shelf. I'm thinking they would go behind a closed door and I could have an outlet in there too for charging stuff (though I'm also tentatively planning a charging station in a different room).

Your link is a lot like what I'm thinking for wall hung baskets. I was thinking separate baskets so the weight would be more distributed. And hanging on a peg board so I could remove them and use the peg board for other things if they weren't working out. Link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon mesh file holders

Do you have a spot in your dining room that could hold a mail cabinet of some sort? Somebody here posted a reveal a few months ago who revamped a cupboard that had mail cubbies and closed storage that was supposed to hang on the wall by the fridge. They ended up putting the MW next to the fridge instead and repurposed the wall cupboard. They flipped it upside down, put a small piece of granite on top that was scrap from their counters, and maybe gave it some bun feet(?) They put it over by their table in the dining nook. It looked great, was right where they needed it, and it took up hardly any room at all. Might be another option for you. Maybe someone will remember whose it was??

I'm hoping the budget will allow for a built in hutch in the dining room--we'll see. But since there is a nice sized dining room table there now and the mail continues to end up in the kitchen, I'm feeling like it would be best to plan for the mail to go in the kitchen. I do often sort through it while I'm getting dinner ready.

I planned a spot for mail but OCD DH always organizes his mail on the DR table and he couldn't change so gave up. Fortunately, I used the mesh files so it was not a total loss.

I like the Houzz mail organizer. As for "ugly mail", note that that picture has a closed cabinet above the mail slots. Flyers, catalogs and such could be hidden from view. I'd also keep envelopes, stamps, scotch tape and ink pens behind that door.

I think the light is important. Imagine you were standing in this spot going through mail or plugging in your phone to charge. Without that under-cabinet light as shown, your body would block the overhead light.

And I'd want a trash can in that area. Toss your mail as soon as it's read.

Honestly, open cubbies look good in magazines but rarely in real life. If you want it open then I would buy pretty boxes for the space.

I think I haven't been clear enough. If I go with the cubbies they would be behind a closed cabinet door. So no worries about looks.

I sort the mail on the pull out counter of the orginal built ins. This is staying. So I'm assuming I would continue to sort there. This would be directly behind me from that location so I could turn around and out everything in the cubbies or the mesh file holders, close the door and hide the bills.

I've signed up for e-bills and statements and put a sign in my mailbox that I only want mail that is addressed to us (the only way that the mailman will stop delivering the junk mail). It's virtually eliminated the paper that enters the house. I don't know where you are, but a number of the banks and utility companies that I deal with add a surcharge for paper copies.

My problem isn't necessarily the mail, it's just the odds and ends paperwork that my kids bring home. I've tried various methods to keep it all sorted, but in the end, it typically still ends up in one pile. I love the look of those mail cubbies, they wouldn't be practical for everything I'd need. Most of my paperwork tends to be letter paper size. And even with ebills (I have that too), I still get random bills/paperwork in the mail. I solve the bulk mail issue by sorting my mail b/f I enter the house - I walk right by my recycle bin on the way inside so all junk mail gets immediately tossed rather than coming inside.

I wish I had a solution for you! I always follow these threads hoping some day I'll see an idea that might work for me. Part of the problem for me is that often "out of sight, out of mind" applies and then I forget to take care of something important if I store it away for later action.

See the link below to see what I use on a big empty kitchen wall (my kitchen has an odd layout). My mail goes into the letter bin, and I also have the office organizer and linen pinboard.

Here is a link that might be useful: LINK

Yes, in addition to mail, I have a fair amount of kid related paperwork that just isn't going to go away anytime soon. (And some of my bills cannot be converted to electronic. Honestly, the junk mail isn't the problem--I deal with it promptly. And I can't imagine that my mail carrier would stop delivering junk mail no matter what I did. I still get mail multiple times a week for the previous owner despite having written deceased and putting it back out for the last two years. I had to start crossing through the bar code to keep from getting the same pieces re-delivered with my big written deceased on them,)

I'm thinking maybe a combination of mail slots in the broom cabinet and lining the back of one of its doors with a magnetic white board so I can hang some things--like camp forms and such.

The pottery barn system is nice. I don't have any open wall space though. I have always thought that would be a nice system if I had and used a home office for bill paying and the like.

Thanks!

We've done both the mesh files (6 years?) and the cubbies (past 2 years). I vote cubbies. They're more versatile, more cleanable, more clean OUT - able, and they do look nicer, even behind doors.

The mesh were never big enough - especially around Christmas. If you go with shallow ones, the taller papers may droop over, and if you go with deeper ones, little scraps of paper (babysitter's phone number, plumber's business card) get lost in the bottom. Any more than 1" thickness gets unmanageable, but there are times you can't get to the pile when it needs to be thinned out.

Cubbies are awesome. You can build a stack of paper 4-5" high if you need to (say, if you're collecting tile samples, paint chips, multi-page quotes for major renos). You can keep non-mail items like the spare keys, chapstick, pens, or half-used seed packets (yes, that's what's in one of my cubbies right now), and they don't get lost in the bottom of the folder.

My recommendation is unequivocally cubbies. Give serious thought to how many you need. We are a family of 3, and we have 5 cubbies: one for each person, one for household stuff, and one for "junk" (business cards, keys, pens, the aforementioned seed packets). One more may have been a good idea, but we bought an Ikea wine cubby, which only has 5 openings. You may want an extra cubby for longer-term storage of kids papers (until you can sort/save properly), or for catalogs you actually want to keep. Our recycling is just below our cubbies, so junk mail never even makes it to a counter. Also - if you have space, opt for 10-12" wide. Those large mailers are much bigger than a standard piece of paper, and the only thing I dislike about our tiny cubbies is that large items have to be curved to fit.

I considered our mesh folders to be a great system, even though occasionally a counter pile would start growing. I am continually amazed at how much better the cubby system is working for us. I wish I had done cubbies in the last house.

Thank you! Very helpful information. I am leaning towards cubbies with a magnetic white board on the inside of one cabinet door to hang a few key papers or write reminders.

I agree the school paper trail is relentless. Even worse than mail! Do you have a container store near you? I would check some of their stuff. I can't believe I waited so long to organize my space. I bought one magazine file for each family member and a few extra misc ones. It keeps things nice and tidy.

Plus a box or cubby for stamps, envelopes and return labels.

Very nice! I wish I had space for an area like that, but we have a small house and there just isn't a spot. I hope the cubbies in the broom closet will be a good solution.